Former Montowese Food Center employee opens Charlie’s Meat Market at same location in North Haven

Charlie Barbarotta bones a chicken for chicken sausage at Charlie's Meat Market in North Haven on June 7, 2018.

Charlie Barbarotta bones a chicken for chicken sausage at Charlie's Meat Market in North Haven on June 7, 2018.

Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Image
1of/19

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 19

Charlie Barbarotta bones a chicken for chicken sausage at Charlie's Meat Market in North Haven on June 7, 2018.

Charlie Barbarotta bones a chicken for chicken sausage at Charlie's Meat Market in North Haven on June 7, 2018.

Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Former Montowese Food Center employee opens Charlie’s Meat Market at same location in North Haven

1 / 19

Back to Gallery

NORTH HAVEN — It’s not too hard to get Charlie Barbarotta, the former butcher at the now-defunct Montowese Food Center, talking about meat — the cuts and grades, what they’re good for.

“She gets bored to death hearing me,” Charlie said Thursday, prompting a laugh from his wife, Donna. “I can talk about it all day long. Everybody who comes in, I try to explain to them what the differences are ... it’s important to me that people understand what they’re getting.”

Charlie and Donna Barbarotta recently opened Charlie’s Meat Market on Middletown Avenue, right where the Food Center used to stand, as they take the chance to work together, serve customers old and new, and provide Charlie the chance to share his knowledge and love for meat.

As he explained Thursday, the grades of beef are prime, choice, select, and no-roll, differentiated by the marbling and the price.

Charlie said Thursday he was introduced to the field growing up in Pittsfield, Mass., where his neighbor was a meat manager for PriceChopper.

He got a job there at 14, found he enjoyed both the work and the people, and ended up continuing with the company until he retired in September, as well as working the meat counter at Montowese part time.

While that business closed, Barbarotta maintained the relationship he had with his customers, and, after retiring from PriceChopper, opened the shop at the same site May 30.

There’s value and pleasure in having a personal relationship with patrons, Charlie said — and the people have come back.

“They’re all happy and I’m happy. It’s great to see them,” said Charlie Barbarotta. “One lady came in the other day, started crying, and I almost started. I said, knock it off ... I’m going to be here a while. You come and see me whenever you want. So that’s it — it’s all about the people.”

Opening the new store also gives Charlie and Donna the chance to work closely together for the first time, which is a bonus, and a commute less than a mile from their home.

Donna said they’re hoping to get into catering in the future and embrace the possibilities that come with the new store, little-by-little.

They sell sandwiches, sides, drinks, and a selection of grocery items, as well as meat and cheese.

“(We can) lean on each other. Because we both are here, so, we both see everything — we can give each other advice or suggestions on things we can do better, what needs to be changed,” said Donna Barbarotta.

“We’re a team. It’s both of us — we’re both in it together,” said Charlie Barbarotta.

It’s a good arrangement, hesaid.

He and his wife can spend time together after he was away over the years, members of his family, including his grandchildren, are close by, and he has the chance to provide a service near-and-dear to his heart.

“It’s great. Just the whole package is good — doing what I love to do, being with the people I love to be with, and waiting on the people that I missed for years,” said Charlie Barbarotta.

Those interested in learning more about the store, which is located at 139 Middletown Ave., can call (203) 553-1699.